Our aim is raise funds to renovate a derelict building (inside and out) that has been empty for approximately 10 years and with the primary purpose of housing over 600 homeless people thereby taking them of the streets of Birmingham. The intended purpose is the creation of a 24-hour homeless center that will provide food and shelter. We aim to also provide assistance with benefit claims, welfare, employment advice and support with medical issues. Help and support with many issues like mental health, drug addiction and alcoholism will be offered to anyone experiencing homelessness.

We requiring funding for beds, washing machines, new roofing, partitions for dormitories, assorted building materials, new walls and floors, a complete fire and alarm system and other costs we may incur along the way.

As told by the charity, that has been on the street of Birmingham every day of the year for the last four years feeding the homeless, there were four years ago roughly 400 people. This total has dramatically increased to approximately 1,500 homeless living on the streets of Birmingham as of October 2016.

We are Birmingham Homeless Outreach (BHO), a small charity a group of volunteers who have come together to help the homeless by giving them food and drink, clothes, sleeping bags and other items that have very kindly been donated by the team.

The outreach charity was founded by Rik James 7 years ago. Rik and his Homeless Outreach team have been feeding the homeless for a total of 20 years in city’s up and down the country and are out every single day of the year.

We ask the local community for donations of clothes, sleeping bags, blankets, toiletries, etc to hand out to the homeless. Basically anything that can be used by homeless people on the streets is greatly received. The team is out daily looking for people who are sleeping rough to give them sandwiches, hot drinks and any other items that have been donated. Donating these items direct to charities such as ourselves is the safer way for homeless people to get what they really need on the streets. Giving them money is feeding their habits but, giving them food and clothes helps more. Ultimately, giving a homeless person 15 minutes of your time to chat and to connect is priceless.

Labour MP Leader John Clancy and rik having the meeting.

Rik had the idea of taking over a building in Birmingham for a few years now. After having an interview at the beginning of the year with Labor MP Leader, John Clancy, Rik and the outreach charity were promised to have a meeting with a view to getting a building which would support and house the homeless. As you have already worked out by now, no meeting has been organized and nothing has been done to support the homeless in Birmingham. A lot of hot air and broken promises from yet another story- telling politicians. Truth is Birmingham Outreach Charity are sick to the back teeth of politicians and broken promises. While real people are living on the on the streets of England with no food and nobody to help them. 1500 people to be processed in Birmingham alone.

A long-term solution is needed. There is an immediate and desperate need to bring any relief we can to those sleeping on our streets. We have decided as a charity that awareness of the homeless in our cities is practically non-existent. The problem is just getting pushed out of the way and not dealt with. Funding is not coming from government to help these people who are the most vulnerable in our city. It’s the year 2016 and we still have people living on the streets. Hundreds of thousands up and down the country, the forgotten people. It’s time to take matters into our own hands, it’s time for us to make a stand - if we don’t this problem is going to get out of hand.

Rik and the team at Birmingham Outreach have decided on the building they are going to take over. This building has been empty for ten years. They have checked with Land Registration of the building and they haven’t found anything. They have spoken to the police regarding Birmingham Outreach taking over the building and in their words it is desperately needed. They see this as a good idea as far as helping our homeless families.

Rik is a very determined man and has decided that is going to happen. Rik truly knows what’s it is like to live on the streets having been homeless himself for a total of 3 years before he set up the charity. This gives him the dedication and empathy to be on the streets every night helping the homeless. He realizes how important help is for the homeless.

So as Governments does not want to help, we are going in and taking over – taking a stand for the people that need it. To make changes in this world we have to step and make them.

We are doing all the “dirty “work and all we are asking from you is to help us with the funding of the project. We are planning on making a complete documentary covering the entirety of the event - from taking the building to fixing the building to the finishing and opening of the building. All of our backers and helpers will be credited in this project and will be asked to be part of the opening of the building and documentary. Anonyms backers will be thanked with a letter and will not have to be a part of documentary if they choose.